Bangor Pool Sharks Set To Test The Waters At Vegas Tournament

A bunch of pool players from the Bangor area are all cued up to head to Las Vegas to take part in the World's Largest Pool Tournament, put on by the American Pool Players Association. I chatted by email with Bruce Worcester, fellow drummer/musician, and he gave me the scoop on what his team, cheekily named The Beer Drinking Donkeys, is up to.

To answer your initial question, we're pretty darned excited. There are 8 people on our team, and only one of us has been to Nationals before, and that was many years ago. Most of us have been playing in the league for many years without having had the chance....it's really, truly exciting.

They've been gearing up for the event for months, participating in local tourneys, and honing their skills for the big event. But there are literally hundreds of teams going against each other. After all, it is the largest tournament in the world. The competition will be steep. So they're really hoping the chops they've been working to build will see them through.

There will be over 700 teams competing over a two week period in Las Vegas. The scope is huge! We're hoping to do well, of course, and I couldn't have a better bunch of teammates to go there with.

Going to the nationals is the dream for any team, in any sport. So for these folks it's like a dream come true. Getting to hang out and do nothing but talk to other people that share your passion, has gotta be worth the experience all by itself. I know if I could go to some kind of drummer's convention, I'd be there in a red-hot minute. There's a family kind of vibe to it that seems pretty obvious. All the players run into each other all the time and just hang out. So the camaraderie is strong.

We're all good friends, we see each other a couple times a week, year round. It's a kind of family, really.... (Much like the feeling among musicians)

So wish these Beer Drinking Donkeys luck as they head out to Vegas to represent Maine and try to show the world how it's done. And even if they don't go all the way, it sounds to me like it won't really matter. They'll just come home home, head to their spot and do......what else?! Shoot some pool, and have some fun.